Today would be the birthday of my husband’s best friend, Wayne. The two boys met when they began first grade and continued to be buddies until Wayne died in the spring of 1999 when they were sixty-three.
Through the years, I’ve heard lots of “me and Wayne” stories. (Ken is a stickler for good grammar, but he never has broken that habit.) The growing lads found lots to do, especially during the summers. They rode their bicycles for miles and miles. I can’t imagine the two town boys thought it was fun to pedal through cow pies in the country.
In a restaurant, Ken likes to order frog legs. He told me the tale of the first time he ate the delicacy. While enjoying their favorite summer playground, the banks of South Otter Creek, the young fellows caught some of the amphibians. They built a fire, roasted the haunches and ate them.
Wayne brought us together. When we were teenagers, he met a girl at the Davis Days summer festival and she agreed to go on the Ferris wheel with him. He urged his companion to ask me. During our ride, Kenny could see Wayne had his arm around his girl. He circled my shoulders saying, “I hope you don’t mind–I’ve got to keep up with Wayne.”
After Wayne married Gloria and Ken married me, our families continued the camaraderie. When Wayne’s job took them from the Rockford area to the Chicago suburbs where Lori, Rick and Teri grew up, I-90 made it possible to continue visiting back and forth.
We attended a surprise birthday party for Wayne’s 50th birthday. The next morning, I asked Ken where he wanted to go for our family supper to celebrate his milestone birthday, which was 19 days away.
He mumbled, “I’d really like a surprise party like Wayne had.”
I responded, “I asked you weeks ago if you wanted a party and you said no. It’s too late to invite people.” But it wasn’t. After he left for work, I started making phone calls to plan a celebration. The group surprised Ken even though he’d asked for the party.
Today I’m thankful for Wayne’s friendship and the memories both Ken and I have of a good man.
Do you have a longtime friend?